Today it was cold.

The snow is already on the ground and winter is pulling out her prom dress.

But, being a defiant diva (I think it’s the hair, or some genetic compulsion to disagree–even with the weather) today I wore a short skirt and rode my bike and flashed my long bare legs to the world. The gloriously triumphant grin across my face was a total attention magnet.

I couldn’t tell if people kept looking at me because of my sneaky grin, my bare legs, or the skirt.

It didn’t matter.

Sometimes it just feels good to bask in attention. I see nothing wrong with wanting to turn a few heads once in a while?

Suck it in, tuck it up, stick it out and GLOW a girlie glow to the whole, wide world!

Yeah… that’s what’s so cool about Fridays. You get double glow points when you stand in the sun!

Love you!
Tera

Well, registrations have closed and we’re still working our patooties off to get everyone set up and ready to go in time for the big day on November 1st! I am SO ready to share this experience with all of my fellow BESers in this session!

Tonight we took the girls to the community Halloween party, where a girl around 7 years old, asked me if I was expecting another baby. No joke. This is far from the body shape I am happy emanating, except of course when I really am busy creating another human!

As I’ve recently shared, I have cleaned up my act a fair bit already, but being just about 4 months post-partum and breast feeding makes things a bit challenging for me. I am totally envious of the women out there who proclaim that breast feeding “just makes the weight melt off”, and part of me wonders if they aren’t just saying that to make the rest of us feel hopeless! (kidding!)

Anyway… the point of this post is not to rehash old news, but actually to tell you something really cool that one of our BES participants pointed out. You see, this upcoming session of the Body Enlightenment System begins on November 1st. That’s 1/11… and she told me, “in Angel Numerology, 111 means the universe just took a snapshot of your intentions – hope it was a good one!”

Can I just tell you how much I love that?! I love that! I love that on SO many levels!

So, it seems to me that this was all just meant to be! Let’s make it count and really enjoy this one together!

Amy

I don’t know who I’m hiding from when I wake up early like this and sneak to the blog.

Perhaps my attempts to evade the ever expanding to do list bring me here with the feeling of culpability–like I’m doing something I shouldn’t be. Looks like we’ve got a lot of beautiful people from all around the world signed up to be a part of this version of the Body Enlightenment System. Today participants will be officially starting their preparation week as part of the program, and so I guess that means it’s time to officially announce… *drum roll, please*

The Body Enlightenment Blog!

Here she is! Blogalicious and Beautiful.

Stay tuned and watch for updates.

With more than 500 people signed up to be a part of this version of the Body Enlightenment System, we just know there are going to be some incredible transformations. Not only do we have an fantastic line up of teleseminars for this BES,  we also have the Truth About Your Food series of lectures with Dr. Tel-Oren is starting up early in November as well. The combination of the two is going to make for some amazing transformations.

Sheesh!

I started this blog post at about 5:00am and it’s not 7:00pm. What a day! To brave Body Enlightenment participants embarking on this incredible journey, today we celebrate YOU!

Make it amazing!

Giddy with enthusiasm,

Tera

Today was day 1 of Operation Back on Track and I must say, it was a success!

The key to today’s momentum?

Chopping up a whole slew of cucumber and apples and putting them in a big bowl, with a whole bunch of black grapes. Not only did this give me some raw munchies to keep me out of the cookie cupboard, but the kids ended up joining in on the fun too. Happy bonus!

Tomorrow’s goal?

Add a green smoothie to the festivities, and take some pictures!

Big Bessy! Here I come!

Oh my goodness gracious! I can’t even describe how absorbed I have been in the release of BIG BESSY! But she’s here!

I’m going to go and catch up on some sleep!!

More soon, my lovelies!

Tera

If you haven’t yet heard about it, then I may as well make it known, that BIG BESSY is bigger than we could ever have anticipated. If you’ve been around here for a while, then you would already have heard about our Body Enlightenment System.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last 3 weeks, then you would also have heard about the fact that Angela Stokes was recently on CNN with what is being called the Hottest Health Story of 2008!

While you may not realize what one of these things has to do with the other, the fact is the two of them have combined forces to create what promises to be THE HEALTHIEST WEIGHT LOSS SYSTEM ON THE ENTIRE INTERNET!

I should add to that MOST EFFECTIVE, BEST ORGANIZED, MOST SUPPORTIVE, MOST FUN… but then I’d be tooting my own horn. In all honesty, I won’t be surprised if Jenny Craig starts knocking on our door for the secret recipes!

Speaking of recipes, we’re completely redoing the menus for the upcoming program and providing a GREEN version with a lot less fruit for people who prefer this path for themselves.

We’ve also been whispering in the ears of our friends and associates and, I have to admit that this is the BIGGEST promotion of this program we have ever done. Just getting the massive number of affiliates signed up to spread the word has literally kept me buried in emails for THREE DAYS.

*sigh*

We took off all the limits on this program. No more “60 person maximum”.

For the first time ever we’re opening up the doors as wide as we can and creating as much energy, enthusiasm and sheer combined determination and group vibration that there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best weight loss program on Earth. Yup! ON EARTH!

We already have more than 160 people signed up for this next round who will be coming in JUST to support and help the newcomers.

There IS power in numbers and that’s why if you’ve been humming and hawing about taking part in the BES, then do what it takes to be a part of this on October 21st when registrations for the program officially open.

Registrations Open officially on OCTOBER 21st at 11:00am.

But they close 4 days later on OCTOBER 25th at NOON, so if you’re considering being a part of this, don’t wait.

This is going to be CRAZY.

The BIGGEST BES ever: “BIG BESSY”! More support, more answers, more incredible people involved than we could possibly have imagined.

Okay… back to my inbox!

This week I’ve been a bit down. You see, Raw Diva or not, I am having that old familiar feeling. Yup… it’s the raw food struggle. Like many of you, our lovely divas, I too have a bit of a yo-yo relationship with raw food. To be honest, nearly every raw food person I’ve ever met, has had the same issue at one time or another, or still does.

Does this mean the raw food diet doesn’t work? Does this mean that the raw food diet is impossible?

Not at all!

In my case, it isn’t the food that isn’t working. It’s the logistics of my life at the moment. Here are some of the factors contributing to my struggles:

1. Living with my parents
Living with my parents is great. I have a wonderful relationship with them, and they are helping me out in a transitional period of my life. On top of that, I am very lucky that my mom is interested in the raw food diet too (thank you to green smoothies for getting her on board!), but like me, both of my parents are extremely busy. Shopping is a bi-weekly affair most of the time, and due to the number of people hanging around under this roof at the moment (6-10 on any given day), all with different dietary priorities, fridge space is at a premium and fresh produce doesn’t stay that way for the duration. When ingredients get thin, well… that’s when I succumb to just eating the mashed potatoes, or spaghetti, or whatever.

2. Being a single mom
This is an interesting one. You see, it isn’t specifically being a single mom that makes being raw difficult. It’s the things that go along with being a single mom… dragging kids shopping, making kid-friendly meals, getting your kids to eat a variety of foods, generally being run ragged, not to mention the emotional aspects of singlemomdom… the stress, the vulnerability… and the draw of food to suppress those pesky emotional distractions that seem to pop up a little more frequently than we’d like!

3. Living a fair distance from the grocery store
This is really just about being spoiled. You see, I am used to living as a raw fooder in a cosmopolitan city, full of raw food stores, restaurants and supplies. Now however, I live in a tiny town with a population of a few hundred and the closest thing to groceries is a convenience store. The nearest store with any organic foods is about a 25 minute drive away, and believe me when I tell you that their organic selection is less than inspiring!

4. Limited access to organic foods
Wilted lettuce, bagged baby carrots, distressingly over-ripe avocados, and very green bananas… all at premium prices… that pretty much sums up the organic section of that previously mentioned “closest grocery store”. So while I don’t love the idea of waxing on about the negatives, that’s one more to add to the list of challenges.

5. Time
Mick sang, “Time is on my side”, and I wish I could agree! This is the #1 factor in my current raw food roller coaster. I have currently allowed my life to become so busy, that finding time to chop vegetables, go shopping regularly, or get out and enjoy life (to keep those emotional responses to food under control), has gone out the window! Why it then becomes seemingly more manageable to reheat some pasta instead of biting into an apple… well, I can’t explain that except perhaps to point at the emotional responses issue…

6. Discipline
That’s the pasta over an apple deal. Sometimes it really just comes down to making a commitment and sticking to it, even when thoughts of those thanksgiving pies are dancing around your brain. Discipline takes practice, and practice takes persistence… and it’s all so darned intertwined, because sorry, but the truth is that lately, I’ve already inhaled the cookie before I’ve even looked twice at the mushy grapes in the drawer of the fridge!

7. Breast feeding
This one is interesting, because it works differently for different people, and of course, is only of account at very specific times of life and for only a very specific gender! In my case, breastfeeding means being constantly tired and hungry, and seems to result in my body hanging onto every little (or not so little) fat cell going, no matter how many salads and green smoothies I choose over less ideal emotion suppressors. And so, perhaps even stepping on a scale or shopping for new clothes should be set aside until after breast feeding, and I should just put my attention to eating things that are healthiest for baby and me, but I’d be lying if I said my current stall in the losing of baby weight wasn’t getting me down!

With so many variations on challenges as there are people in the world, how do we manage to get our feet back onto solid ground and our hands off of the candy bars?

In my case, it’s time to get back to basics, look at resolving the challenges I can, and just make a conscious decision to do my best in each situation as it comes. In this case, it is time and discipline that I can influence most, and a lot of the rest will naturally fall into place.

In all matters of importance, I would say that making the time to approach things properly is the key to success. Thus, making time to take twice-weekly trips to the store must become a priority. Making the time to cut up a plate veggies mid-morning, is a 5 minute day pass from the cookie jar! Renewing the commitment to my health to choose those veggies in favor of dad’s left over lasagna, is all about taking charge and not being led around by the things that aren’t so easily controlled.

Your issues and needs may be similar to mine, or completely different. It could be lack of raw community (a huge one!), economic factors (a timely one!), social obligations (been there!), or any number of other things. The specifics aren’t so important as simply assessing where you are and implementing steps in the right direction and at a pace you can handle, while still challenging yourself to improve each day.

In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff. Manage the key factors to the best of your ability, make the commitment to yourself, and just get on with it and do the best you can as you go!

Luckily for me, I’ve got an amazing community of like-minded women around me in The Raw Divas programs and offerings. So I’m going to take the time to get back to basics right along side you in our upcoming session of the Body Enlightenment System.

Hope to see you there!

The other day I wrote a message to Brendan Brazier about another big idea for world peace and human health. He responded with interest, and to my surprise, let me know that he was in Montreal on tour with the “Students for Sustainability”. (He’s been traveling with David Suzuki and other environmental outreach people throughout Canada educating people on what changes can be made in the name of environmental responsibility.)

So, Brendan and I hooked up at my favorite fruit and veggie store and from their went on a big, long walk! It was BEAUTIFUL! The moon was just about full. (Was it full, Keely? I can never really tell.) The clouds in the sky had a stunning speckled pattern and it was just a gorgeous evening. I so enjoyed getting to know him better and learning more about the projects that he has underway.

We talked about all kinds of things, and I am VERY excited about his upcoming projects. I guess what excites me the most about these is that they are touching a mainstream audience and inspiring people to transition from toxic foods and fuels they have come to know and move toward healthier, more sustainable choices. He says he doesn’t consider himself a part of the “raw food” movement, but what matters most is his message is touching the lives of others in a powerful way.

If you’re not familiar with his work, you can check it his line of products here. Vega is a line of products that he created on his own while training and racing triathlons. He’s now partnered with others to make these products available to a much wider audience. One of my dear friends says that were it not for Brendan’s Smoothie Infusion and Whole Food Optimizer, she never would have succeeded at losing more than 40kilos and finally transitioning herself to the raw food diet.

Thanks, Brendan! I so enjoyed connecting with you and look forward to seeing more exciting projects from you and Vega! Let us know when you decide to host your first marathon and we’ll be there with Diva Ts and bells on!

by Tera Warner

Lots of people sell the idea of entrepreneurship, but the statistics say that only a small proportion of the people who attempt to start a business ever really make it off the ground. Sometimes the stress and burden of responsibility is more than most people are able or willing to take on.

There are so many things to do when you start out on your own. The promotion, production, delivery and finances, the legal details, too…

The list goes on, and what happens for many people inspired by the ideas of entrepreneurship, is that they find out they are working twice as many hours for half as much pay as they would in a day job at WalMart. They’re slave employees, to themselves!!

Added to all these administrative business tasks is the fact that many of us juggle childcare, husband cuddles and other significant family/relationship engagements.

So what’s the solution to this mother-making-money dilemna?

When Amy and I built this company from the bottom up just about a year and a half ago, the intention was to build something that could empower other women to do what we had done.

Looking around at what others were up to, we saw so many people trying to make it on their own. You can look, and you’ll see them, too-still struggling, still trying to be a one-woman show and get it all done.

Life wasn’t made to be lived in isolation!

Whatever you do, you will do it better with a team to support you!

There are so many women passionate about health and raw food trying to start a mini company themselves, but they never manage to get out of the rut of organizational details and get it off the ground.

So, as we were building our business, we asked ourselves, “What if we could put together all the materials, support and systems other women like us need to build their business, so that they can focus on doing what they love-sharing information with others and supporting people in a positive way.

Well, we’ve been working pretty hard these last months. We’ve created the programs, the systems, the promotional materials, and as of this week, we’ve created all the systems you need to start your own Raw Diva business, too, or to make a pretty handsome income referring our products to your current business.

We’ve done the hard work leading up to this point so that you wouldn’t have to. I know these are crunchy financial times, and if you’re looking for a way to supplement your income, or expand what you’re already doing, maybe even break away from an uninspiring job to take up something you *really* love, then check out our BRAND NEW Diamonds for Diva Affiliate program.

We know what it’s like to be single, self-employed, stay-at-home/homeschooling moms. We did it and we are doing it, and now we want to let you know that we’d like to do what we can to support you, too. The job gets easier for all of us when we band together.

If you look at what we do around here, you’ll see that more than anything else, it’s built on community. The Raw Mom blog, The Green Smoothie Blog, The Powder Room are just the beginning.

Whether you’re interested in being a part of our programs, or not, we encourage you always to follow your dreams, persist through the tough times and keep the goal in sight, no matter how much life’s waves toss you to the ground, just get up and keep walking.

That’s how we did it, and we know you can do it, too!

Here’s to your next great adventure, whatever that will be!

Tera

p.s.
You can fill out our Diamonds for Diva affiliate program application here!

Well, we finally managed to get groovy like the rest of those people out there! In this, our first video, Sebastian makes “banana ice cream”! Hope you enjoy it! Let us know what you think. You can also watch it on Youtube, under therawdivas, but we think the quality is much better on our little, pink Diva TV.

Enjoy!

Love,

Tera, Sebastian and Jimmy (The King of Web)